Monkeypox virus has been in the news as the number of cases in the Los Angeles area and across the country is on the rise, according to data from the California Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most cases so far, including the 22 in Los Angeles County, have primarily occurred in sexual contact among gay and bisexual men.
Here’s what we know. What is monkeypox? Monkeypox is a viral infection from a pox virus that was first discovered in monkeys in 1958.
It is believed that the virus naturally lives and reproduces in rodents in central and western Africa. The first human case of monkeypox was identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970.